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I’m not a design critic, but I love reading design critics. This essay by John Thackara might help explain why. Following are some excerpts, but really, read the whole thing. The Revelation Advice for would-be design critics By John Thackara What Should Design Critics Write About? (Today’s story is from ProPublica. ProPublica is an effort to create non-profit journalism. ProPublica reporter Sheri Fink won the Pulitzer for Investigative Reporting this year. Image is from the US Coast Guard and is in the public domain licensed under creative commons; some restrictions apply. “Unless otherwise noted, you can republish our articles and graphics… [...] Simple design changes can make a substantial impact on the environmental footprint. Andrew Kim makes the case for square soda bottles. A brief interview with Kim can be found here. In early March I wrote a post about seed bombs. Seed bombs are a guerrilla gardening technique that combines soil, terracotta, and seeds into balls you can toss into neglected, or abandoned spaces. These seed balls are especially good for fenced off areas that are dying to be filled with wildflowers. These guerrilla gardeners are distributing [...] April 19, 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DOW THROWS A DISMAL PARTY, FEW ATTEND Video: Yes Men video coming soon here; other video here Brooklyn, NY — Bucolic Prospect park [...] I learned a new term today – LOHAS – Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability. “Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) is a demographic defining a particular market segment related to sustainable living, “green” ecological initiatives, and generally composed of a relatively upscale and well-educated population segment.” The marketplace includes goods and services such as: [...] Perfect. It’s Earth Day and we’re thrilled that in the last 40 years we’ve managed to stop the rivers from burning. (Yes, kids, pollution used to be so bad in this country that rivers caught fire.) “Cleveland’s main river used to periodically catch fire. On June 22, 1969, trash and an oil slick ignited. The [...] This Sunday, March 21, Grand Hampton will be hosting a Fresh Market Day. Grand Hampton Be forewarned, however, that inclement weather may prompt cancellation. From the email message – “The weather report currently shows a 40% chance of rain for Sunday. It’s our hope that the rain will [...] This Saturday, March 20, is Tampa Clean City Day. From the Tampagov About page. About Tampa Clean City Day We, along with Friends of Clean City, are proud to initiate the 4th Annual Tampa Clean City Day during “The Great American Clean Up” (March – May). Tampa Clean City Day is scheduled for March 20, 2010 at Raymond [...] B. C. Manion at 83 Degrees reports on some green businesses in Tampa. “Jennifer Dutkowsky, founder of Why Not Boutique at 3217A S. MacDill Ave., in south Tampa, says she opened her shop in November 2008, after sensing a need in the market. “‘Tampa – it’s headed toward green, but it’s not green,’ Dutkowsky says. “Items at her [...] Adam Fritz, a blogger at Tampa’s Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) points to this video about seedbombing. via Wikipedia - “Seed bombing, also known as “Seed Grenades” is a technique of introducing vegetation to arid soils or otherwise inhospitable terrains. A seed bomb is a compressed clod of soil containing live vegetation that may be thrown or [...] Here’s an interesting animated visualization of how much food it takes to feed Manhattan. via The Why Factory. Local photographer Tom Palmer took a ton of photos at the recent grand opening of the Curtis Hixon park and posted them on his Flickr account. Check them out, they are terrific.
Copyright Tom Palmer. All rights reserved. Here’s an artist’s rendering of the park created during the design process. This urban space has been a contentious [...] Brian Ries at CL’s Daily Loaf reports that a new restaurant is coming to Seminole Heights. Michelle and Greg Baker of the Trib’s Culinary Sherpas and owners of Cook & Company will soon sign the papers to buy a spot in Seminole Heights to open The Refinery. …the new spot will be called The Refinery [...] At COP15 last month MIT’s Sensable City Lab unveiled their Copenhagen Wheel. The wheel fits onto ordinary bicycles, but is far from an ordinary wheel. It acts as a lock and can be locked and unlocked with your cell phone; it has a small motor that can provide a boost on hills or in traffic; power [...] Mark your calendars! This Valentine’s Day the Business Guild of Seminole Heights will host a Sunday morning market at Hillsborough High School. Be sure to visit their site to learn more about how to be a vendor or how to be a volunteer. The following information is taken from their website. (Thanks, BZ!)
Sunday, February 14th, 2010 Eat local advocates might be interested in applying for a grant to help promote farmers’ markets. “The Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) was created through a recent amendment of the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976. The grants, authorized by the FMPP, are targeted to help improve and expand domestic farmers markets, roadside stands, community-supported agriculture [...] Confusing weather and climate is like mistaking a chord for a song, or a sentence for a novel. Because it’s cold outside today in no way disproves the greenhouse effect. But, what about climategate!? Scientists are not heroes, or benevolent benefactors, or above crass human desires. This is the whole point of the scientific method. Since [...] This from the City of Tampa – Christmas Tree Recycling Tampa, FL December 23, 2008 – The City of Tampa Department of Solid Waste & Environmental Program Managment will be offering free pick up and recycling of Christmas trees. Trees must be bare (no ornaments, lights or tree stands), and should be placed curbside for removal beginning [...] Time Magazine has an article on human manure, a topic I was writing about in 2008. “Now he eschews his porcelain potty for a big bucket with a toilet seat. He “flushes” by tossing in a scoop of sawdust, which not only neutralizes smells but also helps speed the breakdown of composting material. Like many back-to-basics [...] Hank Hyena at H+ estimates that tank-grown protein will be on our grocery shelves in 3-10 years. “In-Vitro Meat — aka tank steak, sci fi sausage, petri pork, beaker bacon, Frankenburger, vat-grown veal, laboratory lamb, synthetic shmeat, trans-ham, factory filet, test tube tuna, cultured chicken, or any other moniker that can seduce the shopper’s stomach [...] Hmmm, if there was only some way to cut through the BS, the politics, the hyperbole, the astroturf, and the inexpert opinion about climate change. Where can we turn to find out what real climate scientists really think about the human influence on climate change? I know! What if we did a survey asking people with [...] I have a great admiration for Stewart Brand, but I must admit his advocacy for nuclear power baffles me. I have enough respect that I’ll pick up his new book Whole Earth Discipline and see what he has to say. Here’s an interview with Brand at Seed magazine. “Brand has now issued a bold challenge to the [...] Hmmm, trash geeks get together and comb through landfills armed with lists of requests. “ZeroLandfill is an award winning beneficial reuse program held seasonally that supports the supply needs of local artists and arts educators while reducing pressure on local landfill capacity. Since 2006, the ZeroLandfill project team has assisted the architectural and interior design [...] The Tampa History Center will be hosting Back to the Future: A Comparison of Sustainable Design Practices Then and Now, this August 29. “On Saturday, August 29th at 10:30 a.m., the Tampa Bay History Center, together with the Tampa Bay Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, will host Back to the Future: A Comparison of [...] Tampa Street Market is asking for your vote in Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2009 in the Best Eco-Friendly Store category. The post also mentions some other eco-friendly stores, and asks for other stores to look out for. Speaking of foodie social networks, Brand Tampa keeps a Ning page for Tampa Bay Eats. “A Group of like minded individuals who support local family owned and operated restaurants and farmers. Say no to the chain and hello to real food again. Think Global and eat local.” Jill at Sticks of Fire notes that as of July 1, HOAs cannot disallow xeriscaping. “In an important show of support for Florida-Friendly gardeners everywhere, this new law states specifically that HOAs can no longer prohibit homeowners from applying Florida-Friendly landscaping! For instance, your HOA cannot fine you for a brown lawn when you’re just abiding [...] This Reuters piece reporting a London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine study misses the point. The LSH&TM concludes that there is no health benefit to eating organic foods. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anyone make the argument that we should eat organic foods because they’re healthier, though I’m certainly not an expert, and don’t [...] The Transition Network is a DIY way to get your town or city off oil dependency. Here’s a .pdf of Who We Are and What We Do…. While I’m not a peak oil alarmist, I’m all about finding ways to help communities recreate themselves, and I think their Cheerful Disclaimer is profoundly sensible. Cheerful disclaimer! Just in [...] |
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